The Student

Most undergraduate students would run away from the idea of volunteering 40 hours a week of their time on top of classes, studying and other student activities – but not Deep Gupta. When Deep started at Ohio State in 2020, he was already connected to BuckeyeThon's cause. His older sister, Nimi, had participated in Dance Marathon during her time as an undergraduate, and Deep had often spent weekends at the James Cancer Hospital with his father, a medical physicist, before heading to OSU football games. "I was born and raised a Buckeye," he said.

Deep joined BuckeyeThon as a General Body member his freshman year, and as his passion for the cause grew, so did involvement: he became coordinator on the Assessment committee, then the Vice President of Finance, and finally, the President of BuckeyeThon for the 2023-2024 academic year.

After graduating this May, Deep will begin his professional career as an actuary at New York Life Insurance Company, where he also aims to continue his journey in philanthropy and service. “This is the kind of experience that doesn’t just end when you graduate. Fully committing to BuckeyeThon’s cause, with this hospital and this campus, has brought me in to a world of service and leadership that I never imagined four years ago- these are lessons that will set me apart in the professional world," Deep said.

From balancing a busy schedule to valuing the unique contributions of each member of a team, Deep has learned many lessons about how to be a better leader and student from his BuckeyeThon experience. He counts the friendships, memories, and miracles made for the hospital among the most important moments of his undergradaute career.

"We passionately fight, choosing a more difficult path of student leadership," he said, "because of our own personal growth along the way and the future we will one day deliver- a future without pediatric cancer and blood disorders. Because Every Kid Deserves to be a Buckeye.”